Nothing feeds the center so much as creative work, even humble kinds like cooking and sewing...Baking bread, weaving cloth, putting up preserves, teaching and singing to children...
~~Anne Morrow Lindbergh~~

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Today I ran errands and didn't get much done, but I did round up this stuff...............

The bag contains alfalfa meal, the rest are the parts that will be added to..............this blue plastic container. I also had to "shop" from the backyard scrap wood pile for the frame for this project. Hubby found a free "how to" on the web to turn all of this into a Rotating Compost Bin, he is having us add the wheels to make it easier for me to rotate it. When it's all put together it will help me make some wonderful "gold" for my garden, the one I hope to have within the next 2 years. I gathered all the stuff into the garage so hubby and I can be in nice and warm in the garage while we put it together, not sure when, but soon. I will try to take photos as I make it so if you are interested in making one you can see how "easy" it is to make your own, LOL

I took this photo yesterday before I started working on the improvements I made to the inside of the coop. The girls are peaking out wondering what I'm doing.

Last night when they went inside I was expecting them to be using the new roosting pole I added.......instead one of them decided to roost on the waterer, I went to Tractor Supply and picked up a hanging waterer, that should take care of that problem!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Seems that most of the blogs that I follow all have the same idea......"Simple Living". I know that I mentioned a while back that I would do a series, well I really feel like I am just striving to do what most of you are already doing or in the process of doing, just in our own individual ways so I will just post things as I go through life, how's that for simple! I really enjoyed reading this post from Elizabeth she has wonderful ideas. I have to say that great minds must think alike.....Elizabeth mentioned not saving things for "someday".....well on Thanksgiving morning I climbed up the attic stairs and brought down the set of china that belonged to hubby's grandmother and we used it for dinner. After washing them I decided that I would find a place in the pantry for them so they could be used frequently for family gatherings.....what point is there is having these dishes if they are in a box in the attic! Here are a few of the plates and bowls, the rest are still in the box waiting to be washed once I find a place for them! BTW they are Crookville - Wild Roses, in case anyone is curious.

I put them up there many years ago when we had to take the china hutch out of the kitchen and really had no place for them, it is a setting for 12.....so I have 12 dinner plates, salad plates, dessert plates, saucers, cups, and many of the serving dishes. I also have a set of dishes that I got from Princess House many years ago, I have always loved them but never finished buying enough for daily use since we were family of 5..... now that number is smaller so I am going to use those and donate my current ones to a local shelter. Here are the PH ones.......

I took this photo this summer when I was trying to sell them online, guess I need to keep the since no one else wanted them, LOL.

Our discussion this morning was what to name the "girls", since they are red I thought maybe naming them after famous redheads.......like Lucille Ball and Maureen O'Hara, maybe Lu & Mo, not sure yet??? So far things are going well, they are still laying, every morning I let them out and give them some "treats" from inside, on the colder days I have been putting warm water in the waterer in the AM and PM, it is getting cold enough for it to freeze now. I hope that they do okay in the cold, others have told me that they will be fine, hope I do all I should to make the coop warm for them.

Yesterday was the fourth Saturday of the month so I had my "Fat Quarter Quilting" class, we all shared what we got done from last months.....mine was the "Little Fall Quilt", we had some goodies to eat and began working on the next project. Here are three blocks I completed yesterday and the fabrics I am working with for this project........

Selection for the next block, subject to change, LOL.

As I mentioned before these quilts are from Lori Smith's book Fat Quarter Quilting (just want to make sure I give credit where credit is due) Here are the fabrics I am "working" from for this project, but I could also dig into my stash if I choose to!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Here are the lovely gifts that I receive every morning, sometimes one, but most days I get two!

Here are the ladies responsible for these gifts..................

They have been here for a week now and I am still tweaking their yard, we are also going to have to make a few adjustments to the coop before winter really gets here. They both got out the second day they were here, I thought they flew over the fencing, but I think they slipped out a small opening in the fencing. That was a little scary 'cause Hunter, our German Shepherd, was trying to get them, luckily they were in the bushes on the side of the hill and he couldn't get to them. One got out yesterday and I think I have fixed the problem.

If Hunter was not unleashed we could let them free range, but he roams the yard and would surely get them. I never thought that I would get chickens, I had a traumatic experience when I was very young and have always been afraid of them ( no laughing), but they have "pecked" me yet! I hope that I can make everything warm and cozy for them during our cold winter, I have been doing some reading and I am up for the challenge, I will also be bugging Peggy with questions. I am hoping that they will continue to lay eggs all winter! I have not named them yet, they really belong to my son, but I am sure that he wouldn't mind if I named them. So there you have it the "ladies" are chickens!

Monday, November 22, 2010

This is ALL the wood finally inside, aren't you glad you don't have to hear me talk about bring in my wood anymore!

The backyard looks like this now..........

Today I got a few more things that I wanted to get finished up, except for the leaves, everything outside that HAS to be done is done! There are still a few things that I can work on if the weather is nice, but they are not a must.

Now since I couldn't post this yesterday, you will have to wait until tomorrow to meet the "ladies" I promise that I will have the post ready first thing, as a matter of fact I may get the post ready now and have it automatically post in the morning!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Today I got most of my stuff done.......tomorrow I will work on bringing in wood, yes I'm still bringing in wood, but there is an end in sight. Then the only major thing left on the list will be the leaves, if we have a few more nice days then hubby and I will take care of them. I leaf blow them into a pile and he takes care of the piles with the tractor. If I don't get the leaves done, guess what, they will still be there in the spring!

Soon I will introduce you to two little ladies that are now living at my house and provide us with yummy treats daily! I have to say that I have always been afraid of them but my son introduced me to them and I realized that they are not as big as they were when I was a little girl standing in the middle of hundreds of them! Just thought I would tease a little but I think you are all pretty clever and can figure it out!

The plan for this weekend it to get 99-100% of the outside winter prep done, I am going to prioritize what needs to be done and what doesn't get done may just have to wait until Spring! It seems that there were more things than I realized that needed to be done and I forgot to account for the way life jumps in and happens when you are try to get things done, LOL.

The weather has been so wonderful, thankfully, and I know it won't last forever. As a matter of fact they are talking of a possible mix of rain and snow late next week......I have come to realize that once that happens I don't usually get much done outside.

I have been doing a tiny bit of sewing, sounds selfish when I have other work to do, but it is also how I wind down. I have 3/4 of the binding done on the Frolic quilt and hope to finish it while watching football tomorrow. I have also been working on the little "Pink" quilt I'm making for my sister, I hope to have it finished soon. I am trying very hard to finish these before starting anything new, wish me luck! I want to make a lap size "winter quilt" for the living room ladder with some fabric I got on sale, photo of the fabric coming soon. I also wanted to make a couple of quilts with some Christmas fabric from my stash, but those might have to wait until next year??? There is also a baby quilt that should be made soon as the baby is due next month. I have lots to keep me busy in my little room this winter so I should not be bored. Goodness I keep thinking of other unfinished projects.......but I keep telling myself that sewing is something that I enjoy and not something I should dread, maybe that is why I haven't put a "Quilt To Do" list in the margin of my blog???

Hope to get some photos later to share. Okay time to get moving.......have a great day :0)

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

I received this as a "chain e-mail" a few days ago and thought it was a great story to share with others. Some of you may have already received it in your e-mailboxes, I also do not know who wrote this so I was unable to put an authors name at the end. Enjoy.......

WHEN YOUR HUT'S ON FIRE

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?'Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.The moral of this story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering.Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

Monday, November 15, 2010

I've got a few things to take care of this week, then I should be back to my sewing room and things to share. So, I will probably be taking a few more days off from posting. I will try to update the reflection and I may visit my blog friends when I take breaks, talk to you in a few days.

﻿Just wanted to take a moment to let you know that I did contact the publisher, and the authors on Monday after I completed my blog post. Thus far only one author has responded and she now publishes her own books and they are printed in the United States of America! Since Monday I started checking more of my quilting books published by another publisher and they too are printed in China. I contacted them and patiently awaita response......

Today is sunny, but very windy......so the leaves will have to wait, we will work on getting the rest of the yard ready for winter. Hope you have a great day.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Not for a lifetime, nor the for the next week, nor for tomorrow, just for this day.

Direct my thoughts and bless them, direct my work and bless it.

Direct the things I say and give them blessings, too.

Direct and bless everything that I think and speak and do.

So that for this one day, just this one day, I have the gift of grace that comes from your presence.......﻿

~Marjorie Holmes

I spent most of the afternoon yesterday working on a new little quilt, it is for my sister and will go along with the Pink Chocolate quilt I gave her back in August. ﻿I modified it, she wanted a topper for her dresser so I modified this little quilt............

It's from Lori Smith's Fat Quarter Quilting. here is what I got done before I turned in for the evening. I am not sure if I will put a border, but that is why there is a strip across the top, I have several other options in my stash so I will play while I'm working on it.

Now for my disappointment, sorry for the poor quality of the picture, but I was very sad when yesterday I noticed that the above mentioned book is Printed in China, then of course I checked the other books by this publisher and yes they too are NOT printed in the USA. I was disappointed that the money I spent was not even helping our country's economy 100%. I plan on dropping a note to the publisher, then I plan on contacting the authors to see if they were aware where their books were printed. The real kicker is that the books that I have bought that were printed here in the USA are in the same price point........I guess the ones printed out of this country must have a higher profit margin???

Gotta get morning chores done and off to play in my sewing room, as it is windy and raining today.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

I did get to Mardens's yesterday to peak at the batiks, I didn't buy any yet. I just remembered that I will have a new baby quilt to make for December so I may make one with the pastel batiks that I saw?? Whenever I go to Mardens's I check the food section (yes, I do check the dates) and stock my pantry when I can. The best part of the bargin hunting were the books that I found.........

The Mary Jane's Stitching Room book is one I have been thinking about buying for over a year, thankfully I was patient! The fat quarter book has some great simple quilts that can be thrown together rather quickly.

I love history and I was immediately drawn to this book, this will be a great book to read this winter with a cup of 'joe and a warm quilt! It was in a beautiful sleeve and inside has envelopes with "copies" that look like the original documents that were important to this time period in history.

The best part were the prices, the 1776 book was originally $65.00.....I paid 12.99, the quilt book was 4.99, and the stitching book was 3.99 sooooo glad I waited I would have been very upset if I would have paid full price, or even the book club price for the stitching room book.

I finished the binding on the Fall Quilt, you can see the corner peaking out of the Frolic quilt. Before I turned in for the night I sewed the binding then pressed and clipped it on the Frolic quilt, now I can sit in the evening and stitch so maybe by next Friday I will finally be completely finished and send it off.

Friday, November 5, 2010

After a nice lunch out with my hubby yesterday I got a few things done then I went in my sewing room and decided that I would handquilt the Little Fall Quilt I made recently. Well, this morning my finger tips are a little tender, I had a leather thimble on and one of the seams was a little tough and the needle went through, OUCH! I have only a little more to do and will work on it later after the morning tasks are completed. Here's what it looks like so far.........

A few days ago I reviewed handquilting in my two Quilting Bibles and yesterday I picked up some quilting thread, while quilting thread is not vital I decided that I wanted my first attempt to be as successful as possible. One of the two "bibles" showed quilting stitches that were a little less than perfect and referred to them as "primative quilting", keep that in mind when looking at the above photos. While the stitches are FAR from even in length and spacing I am happy with the look and I think it will go just great with the rest of the stuff in my home.

It's raining here again so I will probably be spending some more time in my sewing room, although I did see in an ad that Marden's Discount just recieved a shipment of batiks, hmmmmm will I be able to resist the temptation to see what they have? I know saw a quilt a while back that was made with batiks, it was beautiful, of course it would be a gift for some unknown recipient as it would not go well with my decor.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

﻿Yesterday my niece came for her quilting "catch up" day. The plan was to finish sewing the blocks together, then sew the rows, and cut the border and binding. I thought we might have time to get the border on and maybe make the quilt "sandwich".....almost but not quite enough time. I really believe that you learn by doing, so I show her how and then she does it, this is HER quilt and I want HER to make it. I also believe that you learn from your mistakes so sometimes she has to rip a seam or recut, all a part of learning to sew, but she is a good sport and a great student. Well we got the blocks and rows done, the binding and border cut and the top border on and the bottom pinned then she needed to go home. Here's a picture before she got the border on........

On Monday during her class time we will work on the side borders and get the binding prepared, on our next "catch up" day she will make the "quilt sandwich" and begin quilting.

Before she came over I did get the dump truck loaded and our son moved it out back this evening, it will get dumped in a few days after our predicted rain, it's easier to tarp the wood while it's still in the truck. After the little quilting lesson I was able to bring in the pile that was dumped on Tuesday, here it is all stacked in the basement.......

Hope to get some quilting or stitchery in later in the day, but we will see what the day brings.

in this space, first I have to move the few things that are in the corner and put up the boards that will hold the rows in place. Our boys put those squares on the wall many years ago to practice thier "pitching" or "target" practicing (no they did shoot real guns in the house, lol) can't remember, but I bet if I asked them they would remember!

This afternoon I will be helping my neice work on her quilt, she is sewing the blocks together and we will then be sewing the rows together. The goal today is to get the top ready for the border and cut the border, I will try to remember to get some pictures.﻿

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.
~Kahil Gibran

When I "fall cleaned" my bedroom I also purged a lot of stuff, an important part of simplifying my life. So here are the "before" photos...........

After the cleaning was finished I added a few "finishing" touches that I hadn't gotten to in the past few years. This room doesn't really "go" with the rest of the house anymore and I plan to paint and give it a more Primitive look when my Civil War Quilt is finished, since I know that could be in 3 months or a year I am making it cozy and comfortable with what I already have instead of being "in waiting" for the redo! I also moved a few things around and tweaked the postition of stuff to make the flow better for hubby's chair. So here are the afters........and yes the piece of exercise equipment is necessary and needs to stay in the bedroom.

Monday, November 1, 2010

I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder~

Recently I decided that I would do a "series" on Simple Living and what it means to me in my life....I think I have been try to make this more difficult that it needs to be! I think I will tackle by sharing tidbits as they come up of a simple moment, a simple day, a simple home, a simple task you get the idea.

As you read this post try to remember that this is MY idea of a simple life, it is what works for me at this stage in my life, and it is evolving....
On Friday I decided that it was time to do a thorough cleaning in my bedroom, sure doesn't sound very simple! When I was first married 26 years ago I did like my mom and cleaned our entire home in the Spring and in the Fall....when I worked full time outside our home and had our first two children I slowly got out of that habit and just tried to keep things as clean as possible. Then when our third child was born I became a SAHM and was able to do a through clean at least once a year.....later I went back to working and of course the boys were older and sports kept us busy it just wasn't as important to stress about washing walls, floors and every little nook and cranny twice or even once a year! Fast forward to now, I am home all day....and while I do enjoy having a clean house I have learned that life is too short to stress if I don't get every room cleaned top to bottom. So what does this long paragraph have to do with living a simple life....I wanted to share with you how my life has changed and I have changed, before when I did a through cleaning I rushed to get it all done as fast as I could and hated every moment of it! I'm not saying that cleaning is my favorite thing in the whole world, but now I approach it differently....my room took me three afternoons to finish because I broke it into sections and completed one section at a time until it was finished, I still have some winter blankets to wash but they don't have to be done all on the same day! So for me making things simple can be as easy as letting go of HAVING to clean every room in a few days and the RUSH RUSH RUSH of the whole process.